Gabriel Heinze affair

What do you make of the Gabriel Heinze affair? Should Sir Alex Ferguson allow him to leave for Liverpool or should Manchester United stick to their guns and insist that he stay put or go back to Spain?

The longer the drama is played out, Manchester United will be at the losing end. Right now, they are insisting that the player's agreement over-rides any letter or verbal approval that Heinze may leave if another club comes up with a transfer offer (STG6.8 million) that meets United's demands. This, I believe Manchester United isot wrong. And although Heinze is seeking help by going to the Premier League's arbitration panel, United is confident that the Premier League will decide in the club's favour.

But even if the Premier League confirms that Manchester United are well within their rights not to sell the player to Liverpool, what is likely to happen next?

1. Heinze has already compromised his position with the club. His loyalty is now suspect.
2. Ferguson is unlikely to use Heinze as a first-choice player in the team.
3. Heinze looks likely to be banished to the reserve team. This will seriously affect his international carrer in the Argentine team.
4. Heinze may refuse to play even for the reserve team.
5. In the meantime, United is contracted to continue paying Heinze's salary unless they claim that Heinze's refusal to play violates the terms of the contract.
6. Heinze is willing to sit out the next two years until the end of his contract.
7. At the end of the contract, Heinze gets a free Bosman transfer to wherever he wants to go.
8. United gets nothing in return.
9. However, Heinze will be 31-years-old, at an age when teams start to lose interest in a player.

It looks like a lose-lose situation for both club and player unless one of the European clubs does Heinze a favour before this present transfer window closes.

But the question remains: unless Heinze moves to Spain, will United want to see their investment in this player go down the drain? Or will they ultimately bite the bullet and allow Heinze to be the first player since 1964 to cross from Manchester to Liverpool?